Harry Hyams, one of Britain’s most influential property developers, has died at the age of 87. He made much of his fortune developing office space in London at a time in the 1960s and 1970s when rents there were rising significantly. In 1963 he changed the London skyline when built Centre Point.
According to wikipedia, Hyams preferred to find single, blue-chip tenants for his properties, having them fully repair and insure the buildings they occupied, as is common with commercial property in the UK.
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“This approach enabled Hyams to manage a valuable and sizable property business with a staff of just six. It was also used by Hyams as justification for keeping his Centre Point development empty for years after completion – he claimed he could find no tenant willing to lease all 202, 000 sq ft (18, 800 m2) of space”. say the report.
Hyams made his home at Ramsbury Manor in Wiltshire, which in 2006 was the scene of Britain’s biggest domestic burglary.
Hyams has been described as a ‘true gentleman’ had built up one of Britain’s finest private art collections. About 20 million pounds worth of art and antiques were stolen by a gang who were later jailed for 59 years.
Many of the items were never recovered.
